The cinema is blessed with characters sporting excellent facial hair. In fact, in our humble opinion, modern film making would not be where it is today without a superb growth of facial hair.

This being the case, we unveil this Official Top Ten of Beards In Films

1. Tony Stark (Ironman, Avengers)

Behold, the new king of the movie beard. What else would you do as a billionaire playboy with a hobby of occasionally saving the world? Grow awesome facial hair, that’s what.

2. General Zod (Superman II)

“Bow before Zod!” Terence Stamp ordered. We’d bow before that beard any day of the week (not sexy slang)

3. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars)

Poor Sir Alec Guinness. One of the greatest stage and screen actors these isles have ever produced, and he gets remembered for playing an old hippy in a science fiction movie. He hated it. I bet he still went “Thrrrrrm Zmmmm!” when he did the light sabre parts, though.

4. Rasputin (Nicholas and Alexandra)

The mad monk was played by future Doctor Who Tom Baker in 1971 in one of his defining roles. But you can’t fool us – the beard’s the star.

5. Clubber Lang (Rocky III)

Or, to you, Mr T. Fools were pitied in this film, and we pity the fool who mocks these superbly coiffed bit of face fuzz

6. Prince Vultan (Flash Gordon)

In fact, any role played by the marvellously loud Brian Blessed. “Gordon’s Alive!” And where pretty sure there’s things alive in his beard

7. Dumbledore & Hagrid (Harry Potter)

FACT: Both Dumbledore and Hagrid had the same beard in the Harry Potter movies, and it was only through the magic of the Boy Wizard himself that they never appeared on screen together at the same time. The beard also appeared on Ron Weasley in a deleted scene in “Philosopher’s Stone”, before going solo and ending up on…

8. Gandalf (Lord of the Rings)

The fine facial hair worn by Hagrid, Dumbledore and Ron Weasley couldn’t turn down the offer to appear in the Rings trilogy, and found a welcome place on the chin of Magneto out of X Men.

9. Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)

The jury’s out on the concept of beard decorations, but we’re prepared to give a free pass to Depp because he’s excellent.

10. Steven Spielberg (Jaws, ET, everything)

And one from behind the camera – the world’s greatest film maker himself. But without the beard, would Close Encounters have been the blockbuster it was?

Answer: Yes, probably.